Unexpected Visitor
by Henneth Laer
Summary: Riff/Magenta. Rose 'Verse. Sequel to Child of Mine. An unwanted guest arrives to the castle: what trouble will he bring for Riff, Magenta and their family?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Yes, another story in my Rose 'Verse. A sequel to **Child Of Mine. **Another multi-chaptered fic, possibly five chapters long. An uninvited guest arrives at the castle: what trouble will he bring to Riff and Magenta and their family? Thanks so much for **MissZoey **for being my beta and my supporter while writing this nerve-wrecking thing. Also, yes, my chapters are freakishly long, once I get writing I can't stop, okay? Don't judge. R&R!

**Disclaimer: **The wonderful world of RHPS belongs to Richard O' Brien. I am making no profit out of this.

:::

**Unexpected Visitor**

Thunder crashed over the castle's tall towers. A man stepped closer to it, examining, making sure he was at the right place.

Yes, he was.

He had been looking for it for weeks, nearly given up all hope in the meantime, but then he had heard someone talk of it, a castle that had appeared out of nowhere about three or four years ago and was, most probably, the home of a very rich weirdo. That was enough for him. He knew the Transylvanian spaceships pretty well – he himself had constructed some of them and he was pretty aware that no matter how much they tried to stay out of the public eye, attention was always drawn to them – they were just so seemingly _alien_, they carried an atmosphere that everyone, who hasn't lived on Transsexual, felt. Now, as he was standing in front of one, he noticed all the small things that defined the craft. He saw the apparently hidden room, in which the generators and control deck were. Yes, this was undoubtedly the castle he had been looking for.

He stood in front of it, gazing, wondering if he should knock on the door. _Yes, _his inner voice whispered, _you came this far. You can't just stand here and not even enter. _He shook his head. He had promised to himself that he'd leave the past behind. Go on with his life, find a job; maybe even get a family. But he couldn't ignore the desperate cries of his own heart. It was an ache, a physical ache. _Being in love with someone you can't have. _Even his parents said that what used to be simple affection had now grown into an obsession, they had told him to leave it, leave _her_, but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. Now, as rain was pouring over him, he did not regret a single choice he had made. He could feel it in himself, the energy every time she was near.

_This time, _he thought, _this time, I won't fail. She will be mine and no one else's._

:::

'My turn! My turn!' Rose squeaked as the ball only struck down three pins.

'No fair!' Frank replied, laughing. 'That was a mock shot. I want repeat!'

'No repeat.' The little girl replied with a serious voice and Magenta laughed. Her daughter took games way too seriously for her two years of age. Then again, Frank also kind of took them too seriously for his thirty-something years of age. He pouted at Rose.

'Fine, no repeat. But I won't have any mercy on you when I get them all down next time!'

Maybe having him babysit her while she and Riff did their household duties wasn't such a bad idea. He had strictly been warned against swearing and using any kind of inappropriate gestures, so he was doing great, all things considered.

Rose got all the pins down with her shot and Frank applauded her.

'You win, mademoiselle. I cannot possibly hope to reach your level of skill.'

The little girl giggled and Magenta couldn't help but let out a small huff of laughter. Their heads turned around in unison and Frank raised an eyebrow, whereas Rose squeaked and ran to her mother, wrapping her tiny arms around her leg.

'Magenta, were you planning on joining us in our lovely bowling game?'

She cleared her throat, desperately trying not to laugh out at the mental image his question created in her head.

'No, lunch is ready,' Magenta picked up her daughter and kissed her nose. 'And I think even the best sportspeople need their energy, don't they?'

'Winners eat!' Rose picked her fists up in a victorious manner then pointed at Frank. 'Losers stay hungry!'

The prince gasped in fake astonishment, while Magenta, even though she laughed, scolded at Rose.

'Now, that is a very bad word, Rose. Where did you hear it?'

'I heard aunty Colly call daddy like that once.'

"Aunty Colly" seemed to be Columbia's name for the little girl, as much as the groupie tried to convince her otherwise.

'Well, your mother is right.' Frank came closer to them and ruffled Rose's hair. 'That is, indeed, a bad word. We will attend to aunty Colly's … _punishment_ soon enough.' He smirked at Magenta, who rolled her eyes. 'Now, last one to get to the kitchen is a rotten egg!'

Frank rushed down the stairs and Rose squiggled in her mother's arms, she let her go smiling and went after them. She was indeed happy that the prince had decided to help her by babysitting (even though he'd probably kill her if he ever heard her using that term) – Rose was growing fond of him, he wasn't being menacing and cranky and when he was in a bad mood he tended to avoid her. But it seemed that the little girl brought out the child in him – a speck of the little boy Frank probably never had the chance to be. Whatever it was, Magenta was happy that they got along so well. Thunder crashed outside and she shivered. It was a cold and stormy day – pretty unusual for the climate in this area. As she approached the stairwell to join her daughter and the prince downstairs, and probably be enlightened for 20 minutes who the rotten egg was, she felt a hand on her waist. Magenta screamed slightly and turned around, only to crash into her brother's chest.

'I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you.'

'You didn't.' Magenta tried to pick up what was left of her dignity, even though it felt as if her heart was going to pump itself out of her chest. She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. 'How's your work going?'

'Tiring.' He admitted, too distracted by kissing her soft neck. 'Frank and I have … started on a new … project. Should be over soon, though.'

'Ooh, can I know?'

'Nothing interesting.' He admitted, transferring his attention to her collar bone. She had to keep a gasp in, if she didn't want the whole castle to hear them. 'Some studies on the … molecular structure of the …'

'Okay, I got it. Not interesting.' She tried to shrug away from him in order to get down and serve the others lunch, but Riff wouldn't let her go. 'Riff, come on. We need to go.'

He paused, his blue eyes filled with some kind of sorrow as he met her gaze. Magenta felt something in her crash; she hated that look with a sincere passion. She realized that she may have been tired and kind of snapped at him, which made her feel guilty – he had only wanted to spend some time with her; they hadn't had a moment to themselves in what felt like an eternity. Quite frankly, Magenta would give anything for even a speck of time with her brother, to be able to get lost in his warm touches and kisses as they would do almost every night back home. Even so, now wasn't the time, nor was it the place. She gently kissed his forehead.

'I'm sorry for snapping, my dearest brother. It has just been a tiring morning. How about we go get some lunch and then I'll drag you off for an afternoon 'nap' and Frank can come crashing at our door if he wants to – I'm having you all to myself, any way I want you.' She whispered in his ear, slightly licking his earlobe. 'You'd better be ready.'

A lusty spark appeared in his eyes, as Riff's lips twitched into a smile. He released her waist and gently caught her hand, stroking her knuckles with his own fingers. Together, they went down the stairwell, and were greeted by one very hungry and rather tired crowd.

'Mommy! Daddy!' Rose rushed to her parents as soon as they entered the dining room. 'I won! I won!'

'She wasn't playing fair!' Frank complained, even though he was smiling. 'She took a shortcut!'

'Did not!'

'Did too!'

'Frankie, dear, I am sure it would have been of much more help if you had taken off those high heels.' Columbia added and Eddie giggled beside her.

'Shush, auntie Colly.'

'Okay, enough of the dogfight.' Riff smiled. 'Anyone hungry?'

:::

The family left Frank, Eddie and Columbia in the dining room and went to the smaller one near the kitchen – they always preferred to have their lunches there. Rose was in the period when she would spit out whatever she didn't like, which included almost everything that contained any kind of vegetable. Even though the others had complained, the siblings had both reached the conclusion that the expensive carpets in the dining room could be saved. Besides, Magenta really could do without _another _extra amount of laundry. Just as she and Rose were leading a heated argument over the tomato mash, there was a loud ringing of the doorbell. Riff dropped his fork in surprise, which made a loud _ting _on the wooden floor. Magenta nearly turned the spoon over and their daughter was suddenly quiet.

'Are we expecting any visitors?' Magenta asked her brother; he just shrugged. Frank could have invited someone without telling them, or maybe it was some human lost in the woods. Either way, both of them were feeling anxious as an unexplainable sensation of fear ran through their bodies.

'Here.' Magenta shoved the spoon into Riff's hand. 'You feed her. I'll get the door.'

Her brother shot her a worried look.

''Genta—'

'Come on. Why are we both freaking out anyway? If I don't know them, I'll just tell them to scram.'

The ringing repeated again, louder and more persistent. Apparently, whoever it was, they were here with a reason.

'Will any of you two answer the door, please?' Frank's voice echoed from the other room. Rose started pouting at the mash again and for a sudden it seemed as if the whole fear had been a figment of their imagination. But both siblings still had that feeling of unnamable dread deep inside their guts, but chose to ignore it.

Magenta strolled over to the front door and fiddled with the locks for a while. She wasn't used to answering it – Riff was the one who greeted any guests, welcome or not so much. Finally, the door opened with a loud screech.

Outside in the rain stood a man. He didn't seem to be minding the water literally falling in waterfalls on his head. His blue trench coat was clasped tightly and he was shivering slightly. Magenta saw his brown and muddy eyes lock on her and his mouth gape slightly. She instantly felt uncomfortable at some stranger just staring at her as if she was the world's eighth wonder. Before she could get through the whole who-are-you-and-how-did-you-get-here-and-perhaps-you-should-leave routine, a weak sound escaped his lips.

'… enta?'

Magenta felt something clasp her heart in fear. How did this man know her name?

'I'm sorry,' she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. 'do I know you?'

The man seemed to regain his composure. Or at least his mouth stopped hanging. He stood up straight, fixing his collar and managing to look somehow noble, despite being wet and muddy. There was something in his eyes that Magenta didn't like. Something way too familiar. He undid a button on his trench coat to reveal a small golden badge in the form of a forked lightning. Magenta instantly recognized the symbol; she could vaguely remember her brother having a similar badge. It was the symbol of the Science Guild. The man was a Transylvanian.

He smiled at her, bowing slightly.

'I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you. Can I come in?'

She hesitated.

'I mean no harm,' he tried to assure her. 'I am from Transsexual, Transylvania, and am an old associate of Dr. Furter. My craft broke down about a month ago and I remembered hearing about him arriving on this planet, so I decided to track y- … him down and ask if I could use his transducer.'

All of this was spit out in almost one sentence; Magenta felt the uneasiness in her stomach arise.

'You mentioned my name.'

The man gulped.

'Yes, I am merely surprised to see you here … Magenta.'

'Come in.' she stepped away and he entered, shaking his head in an attempt to dry it. His attention focused back on her.

'We were together at school,' the man tried to remind her. 'I remember you so … clearly.' He smiled. Magenta didn't like this smile. Not at all. 'I was merely surprised to see you here, that is all.'

'I'm sorry, I don't –'

'It is okay, probably my name would help. I am Frederick, at your service.'

He extended his hand at her. Magenta didn't take it. Frederick shrugged awkwardly and removed his trench coat, revealing a simple blue suit under it.

'I would like to meet the prince, if I may?'

Apparently, lunch had to be interrupted.

'This way.' Magenta said, turning her back to the visitors, really disliking the shivers that went up her spine. There was something about this man. He was claiming that he knew her, yet she still didn't have the faintest idea who he was. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. Almost _possessively. _Whichwas utterly ridiculous. She could only hope that it would turn out that Frank didn't know him, that he would go away and leave her and her family alone.

:::

No such luck.

As soon as Frederick entered the dining room, Magenta understood that their guest was here to stay.

'Magenta, who was at—' Frank stopped mid-sentence as the other man entered behind her, a slight smile etched on his lips.

'It is good to see you again, prince.'

'Frederick!' Frank gasped in surprise, and he stood up to shake the other man's hand mimicking excitement, but Magenta knew him way too well to tell that he too was bothered by this man's presence. 'My, isn't this a surprise!'

'Believe me,' Frederick chuckled, 'it was even a bigger surprise for me.'

'Why don't you sit down?' the prince offered and the Transylvanian nodded in agreement, throwing one last look at Magenta before he sat on the proposed chair. 'Magenta, bring our guest a light drink.'

She was just about to complain to Frank that her shift had been over, but she saw a look in his eyes, which was clearer than anything he could have said out loud.

_Just get out of here. Let me handle him._

Magenta nodded and left the room, feeling the guest's stare as if it bore into her back. She hurried into the kitchen and heard Rose and Riff's voices die out in the next room as they heard her enter. Soon enough, both of them made their appearance, a sleepy and well-fed Rose was placed comfortably on her father's shoulder. He approached his sister, a worried look having settled permanently in his eyes.

'Who was it?'

She bit her lip, pouring wine into one of the jars they used for cups.

'Magenta.' Riff put his free hand on her shoulder. 'Look at me.'

His sister turned to face him and it was clear from her features that she was on edge.

''Genta…'

'He's Transylvanian,' she mumbled. 'A member of the Science Guild. He had that badge that you used to leave lying around the house until you lost it. His name is Frederick. Apparently, Frank knows him.'

'So what's the problem then?' Her brother asked gently and she went to him, gently stroking her daughter's hair.

'He said he knows me.' Magenta sighed, letting her head rest against Riff's shoulder. 'He said we've been together at school but I can't remember him at all. And he looks at me … Riff, it's so _weird_. So obsessive, it's almost downright creepy.'

He gently kissed his sister's forehead, using his free hand to pull her closer to himself.

'Don't worry. He won't lay a finger on you, not while I'm around. Besides, he'll probably be gone in a few days.'

Problem was, Magenta wasn't really worried about herself. She knew that there were quite a few people back on Transsexual who looked down on her, on Riff and on their relationship. She doubted that the attitude towards Rose would be any different. If this Frederick person was one of those, they were in for a lot of trouble.

:::

Frederick fiddled with the tablecloth whilst trying to focus on what Frank-n-Furter was trying to tell him. Frankly, he couldn't care less. He remembered being introduced to some humans, Columbia and Eddie, if he recalled correctly. Now they were all talking and he was nodding and saying 'yes' when needed, but nothing really could reach his mind after he had seen Magenta again.

Yes, it was true that he may have crashed his own craft on Earth. He may have travelled around half the hemisphere to find her. He had done things – terrible things, he preferred not to remember any of them. His mother's voice echoed in his head once again. _Obsession. You are downright obsessed with this girl. Stop it. _Frederick brushed it off completely. She had been wrong. He had found Magenta. He fought and fought, but he found her.

_I won't let anyone take her away from me again._

'So, Frederick,' Furter's voice shook him away from his trance. 'How did you come to find us?'

Frederick cleared his throat, hoping once again that his version would pass. He knew that the Old Queen's son was no fool and if he could sense the true motives behind this visit, Frederick would be in a whole new kind of trouble. The last thing he wanted was to rub the prince the wrong way.

'As I said, my craft broke down, just a few states away. It came to my mind that you had come to this planet not so long ago so I tried to find you in order to use your transducer to get back to Transsexual. I hope that I am no worry to you.'

At these words, one of the humans' eyes, whose name Frederick remembered was Eddie, shone with excitement.

'Maybe we could try to fix it? Is it too far away? I have learned a lot about your spaceships, you know, we maintain one and all that, and perhaps I could—'

'No!' Frederick cut him off and Eddie closed his mouth in surprise. It was later that he realized his reaction might have been way too much. 'I mean … it is incorrigibly ruined, I'm afraid.'

He tried to smile at Eddie, but the human just kept staring at him and then turned his gaze to the young woman at his side and whispered something in her ear.

'Frankie, dear,' the girl turned to the prince, 'me and Eddie just remembered … we have this … thing … to do—'

'Grocery shopping.' Eddie assisted her.

'Yes! Grocery.' She laughed nervously. 'We're going to leave now. Nice meeting you.'

The last sentence was mumbled at Frederick in a hurry, as both humans left the room. Frank let out an awkward laugh and said something in the lines of _those humans. _They spent the last twenty minutes getting the prince back in touch with his home planet. Frederick told him everything about the newest scientific discoveries back on Transsexual, and even agreed to look at some of the prince's private research later in the afternoon.

Magenta came back into the room then and Frederick was, again, astonished how she had been almost untouched by time. Her hair was as frizzy as he remembered and her eyes still held that flame in them, a spark, in which he could see almost every single aspect of the universe; her luscious red lips, now even more beautiful, enhanced by the red lipstick she now wore. He realized he was staring at her again and she seemed to shiver uncomfortably at that, so he smiled, hoping this would ease the tension a bit. Frederick knew right then that he would prolong his stay as long as needed – but Magenta would be his. His only. He just had to find a way to remind her of how he felt towards her, get her back to Transsexual, where they would live together –

'Your wine.' His thoughts were interrupted by her voice as she placed a small jar filled with said liquid in front of him.

'Thank you, Magenta.'

She paid him no attention and turned to Frank.

'Master, I would like to have the rest of the afternoon off.'

It was not a question. It was merely a statement.

To Frederick's big surprise, the prince nodded sympathetically.

'Of course, Magenta. Tell Riff he is relieved of his lab duties as well.'

Riff? The name was vaguely familiar to Frederick. It took him a while to piece it together. Of course, Riff Raff, one of the Guild's notorious rebels, cast away because his experiments were too risky, too bold, and yet probably because the Transylvanians were merely scared of the knowledge he had. He was also Magenta's brother, as he recalled correctly. There had been rumors of the two of them, but Frederick had chosen to ignore them. Incestuous relationships, even though normal of Transylvanians, were frowned upon and he doubted that Magenta would fall that low.

'Thank you, master.' She said, bowing her head slightly. This made Frederick sick. _She shouldn't be bowing to anyone, _he thought. He was just about to bid her a good day, when the door, through which she had come out of opened, and her brother emerged from it holding something slumped over his shoulder.

He was taller than Frederick remembered him. Thinner, too. He had developed a slight hunchback over the years and his forehead was steadily going bald. But his eyes were still that icy blue – he remembered quite well how everyone in the school was afraid of his bad glares, as if he was ready to start shooting lightning through his eyeballs if anyone came close to his sister.

Now, the same glare was directed at him, and Frederick didn't like it. Not a single bit.

'Riff Raff, if I recall correctly?' he stood up and reached his hand for a handshake. Riff took it with his free hand and nodded. It was when he came closer did Frederick make out what he was holding with his other one. The sight made his insides churn with pain.

It was a child. A girl, not much older than two or three and only a blind man couldn't see the resemblance between her and Magenta – it wasn't just the red hair or the face structure, the child was baring an aura, which Frederick was used to feeling only when Magenta was around. Riff apparently noticed how the guest was staring at the child, because he pulled back in a defensive manner. Even though he was silently dying inside, Frederick had to keep his poker face on, so he faked a smile.

'What a lovely little thing. Who is she?'

'My daughter.' Riff replied concisely. Frederick could feel the tension in the room rising; he could almost cut it with a knife. He asked the question which he feared most now.

'That is lovely. And who is the lucky lady?'

Magenta stared at her brother and even Frederick could see the warning in her eyes. For some reason Riff chose to ignore it and managed to tear the other man's world apart with just two words.

'Magenta is.'

Frederick felt his heart splitting in two, the physical ache he had felt over the years deepen and dig inside his stomach. So it was true. The rumors, everything was true. Magenta was with her brother. _They had a child. _

Even though he felt like screaming from the inside, he forced a smile.

'Congratulations.'

Magenta caught Riff Raff's elbow and murmured something to him; he asked for his master to excuse them and then he and his sister left the room, Magenta's arm still lingering on his forearm, a gesture of relationship. Of love. Of everything Frederick wanted.

As he followed the family with his eyes until they exited the room, a plan was already forming in his head.

_She will be mine. No matter what._

:::

'I just can't believe Frank let him stay the night.' Magenta fumed as she put on her nightgown. After the lunch accident, they hadn't had anymore encounters with the guest – Rose was left in Columbia and Eddie's care, giving Magenta and Riff more time to themselves to enjoy their first free afternoon in what felt like forever. Needless to say, Magenta had fulfilled her promises from earlier that morning.

Dinner had been another uncomfortable streak of staring from Frederick's side, silent growling from Riff's, Magenta trying to ignore one and calm down the other one and Frank and Columbia trying to keep up a conversation. Apparently, the transducer on their own ship needed minor repairs before Frederick could be sent back to Transsexual, so he'd have to stay at least a few days. Magenta could see that he didn't mind that one single bit. She didn't know how she'd stand his eyes following her all the time.

'I'm not so fond of that idea either.' Riff assured her as she lay by his side, snuggling closer to his warm body. 'Has his name rung a bell in your head yet?'

'No.' Magenta shrugged helplessly. 'He keeps saying we've met, but I still don't have even the vaguest memory of such a person. I've probably tried to erase him from his mind, you know, him being creepy and slimy and all that.'

Her brother laughed softly.

'I think I know why Frank is doing this though.'

Magenta raised an eyebrow. 'Care to share with the audience?'

'It was the Science Guild that financed this project to begin with. They built the spaceship; they provided us with materials and money, enough to survive on this planet for as long as we want. Funding is still coming from them on a three-month basis. If Frank is to show any disrespect to a member of the Guild, like kick him out in the rain because they're admiring his gorgeous domestic, the money will be cut and we may as well starve to death here.'

His sister looked at him, a puzzled stare in his eyes.

'So you're telling me I should be fawning to this guy so he doesn't badmouth us?'

'Basically, yes. But we all will be. Of course, if he starts doing something inappropriate, a complaint will be filed faster than the speed of light, I guarantee you that.'

She laughed and kissed his cheek. 'This is why I love you. You're so protective, sometimes it's almost creepy.'

'Always at your service, my most beautiful sister.'

'Is Rose asleep?'

'She is.' Riff furrowed his brow. 'She was so tired; she couldn't even make it through half of the story.'

'It has been a tiring day for all of us.'

A few hours later both of them drifted into sleep tangled in each other's bodies. Little did they know, they would not be getting much sleep that night. Or any night in the next few days.

:::

Magenta was feeling as if someone was banging on her skull. With a sledgehammer.

'Mags! Mags! Wake up!'

It took her a while to recognize Columbia's voice outside the door. She sighed and snuck away from Riff's embrace, quickly putting her black dress on. She tiptoed her way to the door and opened it in half.

'This better be good, Columbia, or I swear—'

'Magenta,' when she saw the fear in the groupie's eyes, Magenta felt her sleepiness drain away from her. Columbia was rarely this frightened. Scratch that, Columbia was rarely frightened _at all. _What was going on?

'Come on now, breathe. What is it?'

'Mags, is Rose with you?'

Breath hitched in Magenta's lungs and she felt her knees give out underneath her body.

'What do you mean?'

'I—' Columbia stuttered. 'I heard a noise coming from the nursery and – Magenta, wait!'

The other woman didn't listen to her; she felt her legs almost run by themselves down the hallway up to the nursery. Nausea was rising up in her chest; she stumbled once, hoping that all the groupie had heard were some cats fighting over the trashcans.

As she arrived in front of the nursery, her fears crushed on her like a ton of bricks.

The door was wide open and so was the window. Wind was blowing in the dark room, which had suddenly become so haunted and violent. A few of the shelves were broken. Later, Magenta would notice that some of the jars of food were missing, as well as her favorite teddy. But she couldn't think about that now. The only image that filled her eyes was the empty crib, blanket tossed aside and the mobile above it spinning, the _Moonlight Sonata _playing in the background as if it were all some terrible joke.

Magenta didn't even have the strength to call out Rose's name. She knew she wasn't there. Her daughter wasn't there.

Realization struck her like a lightning bolt. Rose was gone. She didn't know where she was. She was _gone._

Magenta didn't even know when her vision went black. The last thing she remembered hearing were the last few chords of the _Sonata _playing over and over like a broken record inside her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for the great reviews and here's that update. Sorry that it's coming so late and that it's so short, I'm generally displeased with where this is headed, but I need it to get on with the plot, okay. Bear with me.

**Disclaimer: **An insanely amazing man, going by the name Richard O'Brien, owns all of this.

:::

It was quite a while before Magenta was able to feel any vital functions in her body again. Her eyes opened slowly, taking in the surroundings, absent-mindedly hearing voices and feeling a warm hand on her forehead, stroking gently.

'… and I just saw her lying there,' Columbia's voice reached her ears. From what Magenta could hear, the groupie was crying, out of fear or sorrow, she knew not. 'so then I came and I woke you up and –'

'Columbia,' another familiar voice spoke and Magenta felt a weird feeling of safety overcoming her. 'I think she's starting to wake up. I'll handle it from here. Go assist Eddie and Frank.'

A door got opened and closed shut. It was after that that Magenta managed to find it in herself for her eyelids to raise.

Riff was leaning over her, his head placed gently on her forehead, but she could feel the tension and pain echoing through every fiber of his body. It was when she looked at him and saw that they were still in the nursery, her eyes immediately fixed on the empty crib and reality struck her like a knife in the stomach.

'Rose…'she managed to whelp with a tiny squeaky voice that didn't sound like her at all.

She saw his lower lip tremble and it was then that she understood. It was real. It wasn't just some dream she could wake up from. Their daughter was indeed gone.

Magenta fell into her brother's arms, not realizing she was already crying. Riff held her tight, his face in her hair, gently stroking her head. He didn't speak. She mentally thanked him for that. The last thing she needed right now was an 'everything is going to be ok' or 'she'll be fine.'. Because Magenta damn well knew that their little girl could be anywhere with anyone right now. She didn't want to take any chances of planting false hopes inside herself. Both siblings knew, they ought to be prepared for the worst that could happen.

Not that any of them could imagine how they'd go on with their lives if something happened to Rose.

'Hey, look at me,' Riff pulled back and cupped her face with his hands, leaning in so that their noses would touch. 'I'd never let anything happen to her. Ever. I'll find the man responsible and I'll rip their guts out. We'll get her back, Magenta. I'll go through hell if I have to, but we'll get her back.'

She closed her eyes and nodded, as he kissed her forehead gently. Magenta wiped her tears away angrily. 'I have a pretty good idea who is behind this,' she said, meeting Riff's eyes.

'The delegate?'

'Who else could it be?'

Riff helped her to stand, slightly holding her, because her head was still a little woozy from losing consciousness. She let him help her, but the clock in her head was ticking away. Time was short. Every single moment on, that bastard could go much further with Rose. They couldn't let that happen.

:::

Waiting seemed like forever. As soon as Riff helped her to her room, he had vanished, promising her that he'll return shortly, possibly with news. Columbia was appointed in Magenta's room. In Riff's words, she had to keep his sister from 'doing anything stupid'. Magenta didn't let herself crash, though. She knew it perfectly well that if she wanted to help her daughter, she wouldn't be able to do it by panicking or wallowing in her grief.

'I want to help.' She eyed the door, Columbia going to her side in an instant. Magenta shrugged her off impatiently. 'Columbia, I'm okay. I just want to help them.'

'Mags, dear, there's nothing we can do,' Columbia said, her own cheeks still having traces of tears. 'I'm sure the boys will do everything possible –'

'I can't just sit on my thumbs while my daughter is somewhere with someone, okay?' Magenta nearly shouted and the groupie opened her mouth astonished. This was the first time she saw her that angry.

In that same minute, Frank came into the room, Riff trailing close behind him. Both had gravelly expressions on their faces, a muscle was twitching in her brother's jaw. He sat down next to Magenta and grasped her hand in his. She could see it, he wasn't grieving. Both of them were past that now. Now came the anger.

And his anger was scorching. She felt as if she could light a match and the whole room would burst into flames.

'What's going on?' Her gaze shifted from Riff to Frank. 'Tell me.'

Frank seemed furious too, not as much as Riff, but it seemed as if there was lightning in his eyes.

'Frederick's gone.'

Magenta wasn't surprised, but now, as the facts were bare in front of them, she realized it. She had seen the man who had taken Rose away. She had talked to him. They had welcomed him in.

Magenta knew she hadn't liked that smile. She hadn't liked those eyes. Now she was sure.

Before she could say anything, she heard Riff give a silent whisper next to her.

'_I'm going to gut him open._'

Even though she wasn't much for violence, she was all for that plan now. A smile appeared from out of nowhere on Frank's face.

'We do have some good news too, though. Some years ago, Riff and I worked on some … peculiar types of technology. Long story short, after many sleepless nights, we managed to install a force field generator around the castle premises. It covers the whole castle grounds, all the way up to the front gate, plus the forest.' Frank's gaze shifted to Magenta. 'If they're still in this territory, we'll find them.'

'And if they're not?' Columbia asked impatiently, but no one seemed to answer. It was apparent that none of them wanted to even consider this possibility.

'So,' Frank said, leaning on the door frame. 'I think it's about time we take off on our manhunt.'

:::

They were able to organize themselves much faster than Magenta thought they would; considering the late hours, she thought that there would be some complaints from Columbia or Eddie, the humans seemed to need at least eight hours of sleep a day. But both of them were wide awake, Eddie even suggested they take his motorbike for faster movement.

'I'll pass.' Magenta said. She couldn't handle those and there was no help in her getting sick on half the way.

'We should split up, then.' Frank said, eyeing their little search party. 'Me and the happy parents will try to cover up the North end. You two lovebirds should take the South and West end of the forest, since you'll be moving faster than us. If there's no change, we are to meet at the East end.'

'You sure like commanding people, don't you,' Eddie said.

'As a matter of fact, I do.'

'And that gives you the right to –'

'Stop it.' Riff interjected them, opening the front door. 'It's my daughter we're talking about. We're losing time. We should get a move on.'

This managed to shut both of them. He was right. Time was tight and they couldn't allow themselves to hang around.

Cold breeze hit their faces as they came out on the field, the air still smelling fresh and wet from the rain. It was near dusk, but it was still dark and very, _very _chilly.

No one said a word, as Eddie and Columbia climbed up onto the motorbike, as its engine roared into life.

'We'll keep in touch.' He said.

'How?' Riff asked, confused, and Magenta realized that they hadn't thought about that at all.

'Oh, I almost forgot!' Columbia said and got out a strangely looking device from her pocket and he handed it to Frank. Their master eyed it carefully as if it was planning genocide.

'What is this?'

'It's a walkie-talkie.' Eddie explained. 'You press the button and you talk. It's not rocket science.'

Apparently, to the three Transylvanians it was, because it took them a while to figure out how exactly to use it. Finally, after having that sorted out, Columbia and Eddie took off and Magenta and Riff followed them with their eyes. Then their gazes met, and Magenta saw exactly what she was feeling in his eyes: _Please, God, let her be okay._ She caught his hand and a small curvy smile graced his lips for a second.

'Let's go.' Frank finally decided to break the moment and the three of them dove into the forest.

:::

Frederick was … lightly put, _very _troubled.

The child would awake from the sedation soon enough. He hoped to get as far as he could, because he knew well enough that if the prince or the child's parents were to find him, he would be more vulnerable here, on the castle grounds, on their territory.

As he was just about to leave the forest, his hand collided with something invisible, something that send a slight shock through his body and he jumped back in surprise. The child stirred a little in her sleep but did not wake up.

Frederick lightly touched the air in front of him and saw that it was impossible to get through it. A force field. At the first second, he was astonished at the technology that Frank and his servant had here on this miserable planet. But after that, another, more frightening and uneasy thought came to his mind.

_I'm trapped._

But he wasn't planning on giving up. Not in the slightest.

As the sun was starting to rise, Frederick disappeared into the forest, not noticing the small silver necklace that was missing from Rose's neck. He was too caught up in his own thoughts. He needed a new strategy. And his insane mind already had a pretty good idea about what it would be.


End file.
